An Italian military helicopter crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 11.
The CH-47 Chinook, part of the EU’s EUFOR Althea peacekeeping mission, went down near the village of Gorice in the Brčko district, about 180 km north of Sarajevo, during what EUFOR described as a routine operation. All 15 people on board were Italian citizens, including two soldiers and two members of the Italian Red Cross among the dead, according to Italy’s defence ministry and local officials .
Images from local media showed the aircraft overturned and shattered on flat, grassy terrain. Emergency services secured the area, and EUFOR confirmed no civilians were injured or civilian infrastructure damaged .
The injured were taken to hospitals in Brčko and Tuzla, with EUFOR stating all were in stable condition. One of the wounded later died in hospital, raising the death toll to four .
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed condolences on X, writing: “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those who, as part of the mission to promote peace and stability in the region, are experiencing hours of anguish” . Defence Minister Guido Crosetto added: “There are no words capable of easing such a profound loss” .
EUFOR, which oversees implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, said it was conducting a full investigation and urged the public to rely only on official channels for information . The helicopter was part of an Italian Army Aviation detachment operating in Bosnia since January 2026, providing transport and medical evacuation support .
